Domaine de Marquiliani

The village of Aghione is not far from the old Roman capitol of Corsica on the eastern coast of the island, poetically known as the Costa Serena. Flanked against the Corsican Mountains where the flats begin to rise into the hills, this small village of 235 inhabitants is just as celebrated today for its sulfur springs, olive groves, and vineyards as it was thousands of years ago. The enduring legacy is no coincidence—cool nights, high altitude, and the soil help the grapes retain their freshness and allow for a slow, even ripening. The terraced land of Aghione is a mix of schist and granite gravel with silt that has descended from the mountains over the last ten thousand years.

The Amalric family has farmed Domaine de Marquiliani since the 1950s, nearly twenty years after the two hundred-year-old domaine was destroyed in a fire and abandoned. The Amalrics bought the property and replanted the vineyards. Daniel Amalric earned great recognition for his wines, as he was the first to plant Niellucciu and Syrah on this side of the island. In 1995, he was joined by his daughter, Anne, an agricultural chemist who had returned from mainland France to take her place at the family farm. Initially, Anne put her energy into planting olive and almond trees. Her determination has not been in vain, as Domaine de Marquiliani’s olive oil is widely regarded as the best in Corsica. Recently, Anne has turned her focus back to the vineyards, which are well-rested after a long hiatus. She still works side-by-side with her father and is quick to credit him as her guiding light in the vineyards and the cellar. In spite of her modesty, Anne has become a success in her own right. Her wine made an instant impression on Kermit, who raves, “Drinking her rosé is like drinking a cloud. There’s an absolute weightlessness to it. Nothing is left on the palate but perfume.”

Technical Information

Wine

Blend

Vine Age

Soil Type

Vineyard Area*

Vin de Corse Rosé

90% Sciaccarellu, 10% Syrah

Planted in 1964

Schist and Granite gravel with silt

2 ha

Vin de Corse “Rosé de Pauline”

50% Syrah, 40% Sciaccarellu, 10% Vermentino

Planted in 1964

Schist and Granite gravel with silt

2 ha

* "ha" = hectares; one hectare equals roughly two and a half acres

VITICULTURE / VINIFICATION

• Sustainably farmed, using very small doses of copper sulfate
• Grapes are hand-harvested and collected into small baskets; baskets then placed in a refrigerator for several hours to keep their freshness

Vin de Corse Rosé:

• Juice obtained by direct press

• Pressed juice is decanted and undergoes 72 hour cold-soak

• Clear juice is pulled from the cuve and fermented in stainless steel

• Wine does not go through malolactic fermentation

Vin de Corse “Rosé de Pauline”:
• Slow fermentation from select parcels of Syrah, making a darker colored, more structured wine
• Juice obtained by direct press
• Pressed juice is decanted and undergoes 72 hour cold-soak
• Clear juice is pulled from the cuve and fermented in stainless steel
• Wine does not go through malolactic fermentation